Captives from U.S. fear rescue / Contractors held by rebels in Colombia

T. Christian Miller, Los Angeles Times

Published
4:00 am PDT, Sunday, September 14, 2003

2003-09-14 04:00:00 PDT Bogota, Colombia -- Fearing for their safety, three American defense contractors held captive by leftist rebels have told a journalist that they do not want to be rescued and lashed out at the U.S. government for ignoring their plight.

In a July interview at a rebel camp deep within the Colombian jungle, the Americans said that heavily armed guards are constantly posted five yards away.

"This isn't Hollywood," Thomas Howes told Colombian journalist Jorge Enrique Botero during an hourlong interview that provided the first evidence that they were alive since their capture seven months ago. "A rescue attempt would be sure death."

Two American freelance producers who are working with Botero said they hoped to sell a documentary using the footage to an American news network in the coming weeks.

They said that despite their fear of a rescue attempt, the men expressed deep anger that the U.S. government has not done enough to free them. The United States has ruled out direct talks with the rebels, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

"There's a lot of frustration," said Karin Hayes, a Los Angeles documentary producer. "They feel like they have heard nothing and that (their captivity) has been swept under the rug."

Howes, Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves were seized in February by FARC rebels after their plane developed engine trouble and crashed in rebel-held territory in southern Colombia.

Two others on the plane, decorated military veteran Thomas John Janis, and Colombian intelligence Sgt. Luis Alcides Cruz, were executed by the rebels after they resisted capture, according to the U.S. and Colombian governments.

U.S. officials have not explicitly ruled out a rescue attempt, although they have said any such effort would be made by Colombian troops. Under hard- line President Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian military and police have become increasingly aggressive about rescuing hostages. While most are successful, a botched attempt in May resulted in the FARC killing 10 hostages.

Rebels have said that the men are political prisoners, and will only be released in a larger exchange for guerrillas held captive in Colombian jails. Initial talks are ongoing between the rebels and the Catholic Church.

Botero, who is famous in Colombia for his contacts in the rebel group that date back to his days as a student leader in the 1970s, said it took him 11 days of hard travel in Colombia's Amazon region to reach the men. He said he passed more than 20 rebel camps forming a ring of security around the men.

He said the men told him that they were in good health, despite the threat of malaria and a flesh-eating disease caused by a local parasite.